Historical Structure of Chicagos and LAs Racism free essay sample

Headgears analysis of the Hamburgs, and the Conservative Vice Lords in Chicago, and the Crisp and Bloods videos analysis of gangs in LA, discuss how Headgears concept of demoralizing, and Cornell Wests concept of nihilism, have an objective basis in the historical structure of Chicago and LAs racism. In John M.Headgears book A World of Gangs he states, An increasingly frustrated and demoralized population will reluctantly turn to armed non-state actors who can provide security of a sort, a sense of identity, perhaps the sole local supply of Jobs, ND rudimentary services that the state cannot or will not offer (Headgear p. 21). This notion Is supported when one analyzes and considers the story of the Hamburgs and the Conservative Vice Lords of Chicago.Consider the following; during the industrial era many newly freed slaves of the South moved North into industrialized cities looking to build a better future, rather than having their kids become accustomed to the same racism they dealt with day In and day out In the South. People in their community started to become users and this led to dysfunctional families where the mom is a drug addict and dad is in jail for being apart of the gangs that distribute and make their money off of the only line of work that was available to them.With the drug game being dominated primarily by males, women sought income too by selling their bodies to prostitution. That said, the economic factors were not the primary drivers of C.V. into the drug business, Other contributing factors Were the deterioration f their Allendale community, caused by denationalization that drove the C.V. to a third world trajectory of social exclusion (Headgear p. 83). The Hamburgs (HA) enjoyed a much different outcome. In essence, the C.V. became isolated due to no political, police and/or social acceptance.This is the defining role of modern day demoralizing in ghettos all across the world. Nihilism can be defined as lifelessness, hopelessness, loveless-news and gang based mentality (No matter how bad I got it Ill always have something). Cornel West states, Nihilism among African Americans spread after the 1 9605, though most feel that its roots go all the way back to the time of slavery and years and years of racism (Headgear p. 57). He goes on to say that, He hope of the asss was blown up when the IIS government failed to live up to its promises of the war on poverty (Headgear p. 57). For example, these nihilistic fallacies are expressed by famous rapper Kenya West in a hit song, Cue when you try hard, thats when hay die hard his meaning being washes the point of trying in a white dominated country where if I try my hardest, in the end you will just be left more disappointed due to no acceptance. This led to African Americans feeling cynical about freedom.In the video Bloods and Crisp: Made in America it was clear that gangs replaced immediate families, were about unity and gave members a sense of purpose that they had lost as a result of social exclusion and other educational, occupational, and economical opportunities. Question #2: Discuss the significance of Manuel Chattels devastating picture Of the popularization and social exclusion Of the Fourth World and are the concepts of institutionalizing and defensible spaces, for understanding he history of gangs in Chicago, Cape Town, and ROI De Jeanine.Social exclusion and economic popularization are key elements in what Castles says are policies aimed at the dismantling of the welfare state in the IIS and the West. He says that when the state can no longer provide adequate employment, protection, services, or security for expanding, closely tied and quartered urban populations that the potential for illegitimate forces of violent, private groups can and will move in to fill the void. (Headgear p. ) According to Manuel Castles and John Headgear major gangs that have been round for decades have spread outside their original neighborhoods, and have evolved from wild peer groups to organized criminals with a gang identity are labeled or defined as institutionalized. Gangs are considered institutionalized because they are continually increasing the members in their group and have some sort tie to their community. They are impossible to remove, because their members and those, or the youth, that will ultimately become their members have no other options.The fact is they have been around and exist for years and years. Some may raise the question, Well, if o incarcerate the top dog Or the kingpin Wont everything just fall apart? The answer is no. Many gangs of today and also in the past are highly decentralized. This means that they are not laid out in a bureaucratic or hierarchical fashion; there is not one chief at the top of the pyramid and many foot soldiers below. Headgear states that, Institutionalized gangs are not merely an expendable tool of dynamic leaders or sustained only by profits of drug sales.These gangs are living organisms instilling in their members, as well as the community, a belief in the organization itself (Headgear p. ). Its like a tradition that is handed down from generation to generation. Defensible Spaces can be defined as areas or communities in which those who do not live in that community do not want to be visited by the general public or police. This creates an invisible barrier where these communities become safety nets for gang bangers, drug dealers, prostitutes etc. Here they consciously know that they can commit a violent, crime with little chance of getting caught. The business of the gang can be managed unencumbered. As described in the movie Bloods and Crisp: Made in America, there was an invisible line drawn right through the center of south LA, one side being black and the other white. With a police force of predominately white male officers their inclination was to patrol and keep safe the people of their own community and leave the poor black communities to fend for themselves.The fact that the gangs in Chicago, Cape Town, and ROI De Jeanine were able to sell drugs within defensible spaces allowed them to institutionalize. Whether in housing projects or vales (as they are know in ROI De Jeanine) the affect was the same, it provided a safe haven from police. In Chicago, dense ND crowded projects provided a defensible space for gangs to carry out their drug trafficking without the threat of police activity. In ROI De Jeanine, on the other hand, they built their vales in the mountains, this location separated them from exotic beaches and pr ovided natural barrier. Their buildings were very close and tight quartered living conditions made it easier for them to keep their trafficking under the radar, another benefit to this was that they could see police coming to from a far so they used tactics similar to the military to alert everyone in the vales to take cover and hide all incriminating evidence. In Cape Town, the gangs control the turf, not the police; and it has been that way for many generations.It is clear as Headgear points out that, defensible spaces appear to be important conditions for the institutionalizing of gangs (Headgear p. 15). In conclusion, the history and perseverance of gangs in Chicago, Cape Town, and ROI De Jeanine lead one to conclude that even if conditions change overtime, gangs are able to adapt to these circumstances, and make due with resources given. Also, a loss of leadership to prison or death will not deter their ability to adapt and thrive in he changing environment around them.Question #3: Why does Headgear ar gue that hip-hop and its gangs rap variant are cultural answers to the permanence of racism and oppression, and have become a contagious culture of rebellion that expresses a resistance identity for youth worldwide? Rap and hip-hop are the base of the contagious culture of rebellion. This is true because the certain kind of music that African Americans portray is how they are affiliated with their community, it is how they express themselves and how they see themselves not by how others project statistics and how they see things.Hip-hop would give people that lived in ghettos a sense of hope and helped take their mind off of their nihilistic thoughts of how they live. Complementing my last statement, Africa Bumboat, respectfully known as the grandfather to the origination of hip-hop once stated, When we made hip-hop, we made it hoping it would be about peace, love, unity and having fun so that people could get away from the negativity that was plaguing our streets (Headgear p. 93).Bombasts goal was to pull kids from the self-hatred and destructive behavior that is an all-too common response to poverty and schism (Headgear p. 95). With this insight from an innovator of hip-hop culture we can point out that hip-hop was more positive than negative because it had th e capacity to point kids into a better direction and change their lives. On the other hand gangs rap, which is actually a submerge of hip-hop was more hardcore in the fact that Macs rapped about how they lived and put into perspective how they thought about the public, government, police etc.With popularity in this specific area of music and culture there was money to be made and the ghettos where these rap artists were derived from id not see much of this profit, the liberal white businessmen saw money signs so they had the financial ability to exploit this lifestyle. Therefore gangs rap skyrocketed in all musical polls all across the country; not only was it was it residing in ghetto communities that were listening to this contagious music and lifestyle, it was actually aimed mostly towards affluent white teenagers that fantasized about exotic experience of thug life.The most power that comes with this mass spread of negative violent genre topping music boards is that it gave many people across the country the mindset of Im going to get rich, or die tr ying (50 Cent). This quote made famous by African American rapper Curtis Jackson (50 Cent), did not show people of color to condone themselves into the drug market and gang life but provoked it.